Building block machine



Oct. 28, 1952 B, REGAN 2,615,228

BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Ba'rrz'e Regan B. REGAN BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Oct. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1947 I INVENTOR Barr? Regan ATTORNEY Oct. 28, 1952 B, REGAN 2,615,228

BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 194' I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FE- E INVENTOR Bar-fie Fegafi ATTORNEY machine Patented Oct. 28, 1952 QFFICE BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Barrie Regan, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada Application December 19, 1947, Serial No. 792,813 4 Claims. (01 25-41) This invention'relates to new and usefulimprovements in cement block making machine.

Although cement block making machines are I not new in the art certain advantages have been devised herein which are believed improvements in this art.

7 Briefly this machine adopts an entirely dif ferent principle for producing cement blocks.

'Whereas other well known types. of machines adopt the vibration principle inv the mold; depending on several motors for operation, this invention requires a single motor coupledwith a speed reducer which operates the entire cycle on the extrusion principle'usin'gv air as a medium to force the cement under high pressure from the hopper into a' mold. I

By this method of molding cement blocks porosity is eliminated, and a fine density and uniformity is obtained which naturally increases the strength of cement blocks to a maximum making them impervious to water andc'ondensation'.

These are two factors which ar detrimental to blocks produced by the vibratory System,

The primary object' ofthe invention is there fore to provide a cement block making" machine of the extrusion type. v

A further object is thatthe results present cement blocks; which are opposed to water penetration and condensation. A still further object is the uniformity and density of the blocks ob- .tained;

' Other apparent objects are 7 in the compact structure, simple mechanical action', ease of operation, efficient machine of the character set forth and the comparatively lowmanufacturing cost.

With these and other objects that may appear while the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel arrangement of cooperating parts as hereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which: T W

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the machine;

Fig.2 is a side view thereof partly in section showing some of the elements comprising the Fig; 3 is a sectional; 3--3 of Figure" l. I

' Referring more in detail tothe drawings in side. elevation taken. on line which similar reference characters designate corresponding-parts throughout the several views it will; be seen the invention consists of aframe work l mounted on supportingmembers and reinforcedby braces 12-. The'speed reducer l3 drives sprocket 5 through chain l4 and revolves main drive shaft |6 which is mounted in roller bearings and secured to braces |2 of frame work I0. Rotated and secured by suitable means to drive shaft |6 are four cams l1, |8, |9, 20; cams l1 and i9 are identical in shape and actuate levers 3| in raising and lowering of outer mould 35, extension tube 36 and hopper 3?. Cam I8 is secured on shaft I6 inopposite position'to cams i! and I9 and actuates lever 40 in lowering and raising of platen 4|. Cam 20 on shaft l6 actuates lever 42' and controls air valve 43. A sprocket 2| is also secured to drive shaft I6 and rotates by means of link chain 22 and a sprocket 23 fastened to conveyor chain shaft 24. Both ends of shaft 24 are mounted in ball bearing cases 21 secured to frame work H1 at front of machine. At rear of machine and fitted to frame work In are two similar ball bearing cases 21 in which is mounted shaft 26. Mounted and secured to conveyor shafts 24 and 26 are four identical sprockets connected by two link chains 28. Fixed to chains 28 are six dogs 29, three being equidistantly spaced on each chain 28 and travel parallel to one another'when machine is in operation. The dogs serve the purpose of automatically conveying pallets 30 to front of machine for mould-- ing operation.

Referring now to'the assembly .of outer mould 135 which has a U-shaped tray 62. to'which is' secured the discharge end ofextrusion tube 36 through which cement is forced through port in back wall of mold 35. Four extension arms 59 are welded to front and back of mold and are attached to angle plates 58 by means of bolts and nuts. To each angle plate 58 are attached two perpendicular shafts 51 connected together at their lower ends by a plate 56. .Resting'on plate .56 is a spring. 6| to speed up the return of mold 35 to 'th'eplaten. Attached to the frame work l0 and enclosing shafts 5'! are four'grea'sare pinned to uprights welded to brace l2. Levers 3| and 40 are secured by pins 44 at front endto hangers. 45 which are welded to plate 56. A locking device is provided in notched arm .54 being held in position by spring 39. A roller fixed jointly to plates and anchor angle49 actuate's locking and unlocking position by contact With cams I! and I9. Spring 39 is attached, to hook on brace l2 and a similar hook on followthrough rod 4], follow through rod ,4]: being attached t o rollerbearing lfi and notched; arm34by means of avnut and .bolt. The front end of leverr lll which controls the raising and lowering fofiplaten 4| is securedto .yokeu53 ,by a b'o1t: :A shaft .54

passes through bottom of framework l6 and flange 55 fixed to underside of frame work I0. Four pillars 63 secured to top of frame work 3 I having transverse bars 6! and top plate form support for die 65 which is held in place by four threaded rods 66 each rod having two nuts to enable locking of die 65 to any desired cement block thickness.

Support for extension tube 36 and valve 12 is shown generally at I4 and secured to the top of frame l0. Roller 15 bears weight of extension tube 36 on perpendicular angle 15 attached to top of extension tube 36. Hopper 3! is attached to extension tube 36.

In operation, the mixed cement is poured from a cement mixer located on a raised platform above the hopper 31. The pallets 30 are conveyed from the rear of the machine by the conveyor chains 26 to a position beneath the mould box 35 and upon raising the platen 4| the pallet is forced against the bottom of the mould box and the mould is ready to receive cement. Upon opening of air valve 43, air pressure through pipe 10 enters the upper end of extension tube 36 forcing cement from the tube into the mould. When this action is completed the mould box is raised strippin the mould block clean and the platen is lowered which-lowers the block onto the conveyor chain which carried it to the operator at the forward end of the machine.

'The machine is driven by a motor connectedthrough a speed reducing gear mechanism l3 to a drive sprocket I5 mounted on shaft I6. Mounted on the shaft |6 are four cams II, I8, l9 and 20. Also mounted on shaft I6 is a sprocket 2| which through chain 22 and sprocket 23 drives the conveyor chains 28. Cams I and I9 are identical in shape and operate to raise and lower levers3| which actuate the mould box 35. The levers 3| are locked in lowered position by pins 44 which engage notches in arms 34, the notched arms being normally held in engagement with the pins 44 by springs 39 which exert a forward movement on rod 4'! connected to arm 34. The rod 41 is retracted to release arm 34 when roller 46 is engaged by the cam thus permitting the levers 3| to raise the mould box. Thus, it is seen the mould box is locked in its lower position when the air pressure is released by opening valve 43 which is actuated by cam 20.

f The platen 4| is raised and lowered by lever '40 which is actuated by cam I8. The'raising of platen 4| forces the pallet against the bottom of the mould box 35. As the extension tube 36 is connected to the back wall of the mould box, the tube and hopper 31 are raised and lowered with the mould box and universal joint 64 in the pipe line I0 permit limited movement of the hopper. The cement'valve I2 which opens and closes the 1 mouth 1| of the hopper is stationary and when the hopper is lowered the valve closes and when it is raised the valve opens. Thus, the air pressure in the'tube 36 will tend to tightly close the valve when the cement in tube'36 ,is extruded into the mould box. Itis believedthat the construction and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the foregoing paragraphs taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings without further detailed description.

-While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed it is understood that minor changes in the construction and arrangement of cooperating elements may be resorted to within the scope of. what is claimed without departing fromv the spirit of the invention. l

I claim:

1. A cement block making machine comprising a supporting frame, a fixed die member, supported on said frame, a mould box surroundingsaid die member mounted on said frame for vertical reciprocative movement, said die member closing the upper end of said box when the latter is in a lowered position and adapted to project from the bottom of the box when the latter is in a raised position, means for raising and lowering said mould box, a platen mounted beneath said die member for vertical movement, means for raising said platen to close the bottom of said box when the latter is lowered, a cement hop-per having a mouth at its upper end and its lower end connected to said box, means mounting said hopper for vertical movement with said box and means for introducing air under pressure into said hopper for ejecting cement from the'hopper into the mould box between said die member and said platen.

2. A machine of the character described in claim 1 including means for locking said mould box in its lowered position.

3. A machine of the character described in claim 1 including a valve for closing the mouth of said hopper when said mould box is lowered.

' 4. A machine of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a fixed die member mounted on said frame, a mould box surrounding said die member mounted on said frame for vertical reciprocative movement, said die member closing the upper end of said box when the latter is in a lowered position and adapted to project from the bottom of the box when the latter is in a raised position, means for raising and lowering said mould box, locking means for holding said box in its lowered position, a cement hopper having a mouth at its upper end and a discharge spout connected to a wall of said box, means for mounting said hopper for vertical movement with said box, a valve in the mouth of said hopper for closing the same when the mould box is lowered, a platen mounted in vertical alinement with said die member and mould box, means for raising said platen to close the bottom of said box when said box is lowered, and means die member and platen.

BARRIE' REGAN.

I REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of. this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 455,160 Brooker June 30, 1891 874,482 Bond Dec. 24, 1907 1,027,315 Brice May 21,1912 1,085,973 Conkling Feb. 3, 1914 1,127,521 Rotarius Feb. 9, 1915 1,127,660 McMichael Feb. 9, 1915 1,173,135 Wilcox 1 Feb.'22, 1916 1,330,172 Crozier 1 Feb. 10, 1920 1,482,646 Gates Feb. 5, 1924 1,905,619 Carton Apr. 25, 1933 2,492,415

Coates-et al Dec. 27, 1949 

